The Green Futures Lab explores low-carbon urban design solutions to mitigate climate change.
Metabolic Matters
What is biochar and how can it help designers address the unique challenges of urban landscapes as well as regional and global issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change? How can designers use the concept of metabolism to cultivate systems of biological, cultural and economic function that lead towards climate stability and resilient systems...
Climate Responsible City
With cities consuming significantly more energy and producing more greenhouse gas emissions, cities, and urban areas more broadly are critical in mitigating, or reducing the severity of, global climate change. For instance, how do we get to the places we need to go? What volume of GHG emissions are produced by city services like providing...
Biodiversity Green Wall System
Spearheaded and designed by the Green Futures Lab, the UW Biodiversity Green Wall, Edible Green Screen, and Water Harvesting System was completed in the fall of 2012, transforming two blank concrete walls into lush urban habitat. Located in the southeast corner of Gould Hall on 15th Avenue and NE 40th Street, the award-winning project has...
Activating Alleys for a Lively City
Seattle’s alleys are underused and considered to be the ‘backside’ of the city. There are 456,390 SF of existing public squares, parks and pedestrian streets in downtown Seattle. However by reevaluating and reformulating our alleys we can integrate exciting, green, and healthy public spaces into our existing urban environment. This Seattle Integrated Alley Handbook was...
Shifting Gears
The benefits, utility, and joys of traveling by bicycle are countless, and the relative costs affordable. Yet it has been challenging for US cities to develop the kinds of infrastructural facilities that would make cycling available and attractive to large portions of their populations. Copenhagen, Denmark provides an inspiring example of municipal commitment to cycling...
Global Green Lecture Series
Global Green is a lecture/panel series showcasing Sustainable Planning and Design in the Pacific Northwest and Denmark. Funded by the Scan Design Foundation. The themes to date have been: Autumn 2023 “City Nature and the Nature of Cities” Speaker: Rasmus Astrup, SLA Spring 2023 “Copenhagen’s BLOXHUB: Nordic Hub for Sustainable Urbanization” Speaker: Martine Kildeby, BLOXHUB...
Seattle’s Neighborhood Greenways
The City of Seattle is working to enhance transportation options in the city and Neighborhood Greenways are becoming an integral part of the process. Reducing vehicle speeds and traffic volume is necessary for Neighborhood Greenways, but by creating inviting space for non-motorized users, Neighborhood Greenways can also bring about larger scale neighborhood and environmental improvements....
Re-Imagining Seattle Streets
This was the challenge presented by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), with a long connective arterial in the Magnolia neighborhood as our testing ground. This street was selected due to its exceptionally wide planting strips, its underlying water and habitat connections between Elliot Bay and the Ship Canal at the Ballard Locks, and its primacy as...
Mapping Invitations
Did you ever come across a little spot in your neighborhood that you just found, by accident, and as you lingered, you found yourself leaning on a ledge or sitting on a bench under a tree? As time passed, you realized that you were meant to be there. Someone had set up this situation for...
Public Spaces | Public Life Studios
The Public Spaces Public Life studio in the College of Built Environments combines international study experience with multi-disciplinary collaboration on local projects in order to explore planning and design solutions for Seattle’s public realm. Before the studio, students travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to visit the office of the renowned Copenhagen firm Gehl Architects and see...
Adaptive Streets: Strategies for Transforming the Urban Right-of-Way
Adaptive Streets: Strategies for Transforming the Urban Right-of-Way is an illustrated handbook to inspire and guide citizens, planners and officials to re-imagine how our streets can be adapted to increase utility and delight as well as enhance human and environmental health. The book presents a collection of strategies, demonstrating how they can be implemented in...
Burlington at the Crossroads
In 2013, Burlington, WA—a small agricultural city located in the Skagit Valley north of Seattle—engaged an interdisciplinary team of graduate students and a faculty advisor from the University of Washington Green Futures Lab (GFL) to generate ideas for a Comprehensive Plan update. City planners and the GFL convened numerous public workshops, forums, and presentations to...
